Just Trust Me
by KatsuragiYako
Summary: She thought her world was ending with the sudden death of her aunt, but she didn't know the half of it. Her aunt's death and the appearance of a mysterious stranger marks the opening of a world Haru only ever dreamed of. Apparently, things aren't always what they appear to be. AU.
1. Chapter 1

It felt too sudden. Hadn't she just seen Aunt Shizuku just a few days before? She had been in perfect health, grinning as she joked about her childhood. But now, Haru stood there beside her mother, dumbfounded as she watched the beautiful oak casket being lowered into the ground. They'd said the cause of death was a heart attack. Everyone seemed to believe it but...Aunt Shizuku had always eaten pretty healthy, and as far as she knew, there was no heart disease on either side of the family. She wanted to cry, but she still felt numb. Maybe she was dreaming. Yeah, maybe this was all just a nightmare.

She didn't even hear the hum of chatter as she walked up to the fresh grave. Everyone else had already said their peace, but Haru finally worked up the nerve to approach. The tombstone seemed to make things more official. She was never going to get to read another book by her aunt, about the strange world of magic and sorcerers and the occasional talking animal. Shizuku's books were filled with fantastic characters and events..but now? She'd never get to see her latest novel published. She sucked in a breath, and she could feel the familiar sting of tears as the knowledge sank in. She wasn't dreaming.

"At least she died doing what she loved." A voice greeted her, startling her. Haru turned to stare at the stranger. She didn't recall seeing him there before. He was probably about a foot taller than her, wearing a suit under a dark gray peacoat. A light gray tophat was perched on his head and his eyes were an unnatural shade of green. Or at least, she'd never met anyone with eyes that bright. He tipped his hat to her in greeting before turning his eyes to the casket. "She was a brilliant writer."

Haru nodded, rubbing her eyes. "I'll miss her." He seemed to hesitate for a minute before placing his hand on her shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze. He knew there were no words he could offer to comfort her. It was part of life, and she'd come to terms with her grief in her own time. When she turned to speak to him again, he was already gone. The brunette blinked, then furrowed her brows. How could he have left so quickly?

She shook her head and turned away, returning to her mother's side. The redhaired woman smiled sadly and wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders. She hugged her tight and gently led her away from the grave.

The gathering at her aunt's house only made her feel worse. The last thing she wanted to do was spend time with all these people. She slipped away as quietly as she could, finding her way to the secret door her aunt liked to use for her study. The air was still, and Haru felt surprisingly cold. She wrapped her arms around herself and made her way to the desk. Shizuku's manuscript was still on her desk. Ever so slowly, she eased herself into the chair Shizuku so often sat at to do her writing. Everything in the room was untouched. It gave it an eerie feeling. Haru shut her eyes, remembering one of the last times she'd been in the room. Shizuku had been working on a new story, but she'd been more than happy to stop and read what she had written so far.

"So we meet again." There was that voice again. Haru's head jerked up, finding the stranger from before. He smiled thinly, having respectfully removed his hat upon entering. "That settles it then, you must be Haru. Shizuku talked about you quite often."

Haru frowned slightly. "She did?"

"Of course. You were her favorite niece."

The brunette's eyes fell to her desk, cheeks flushing nervously. "I'm her only niece." She mumbled, rubbing her cheek.

"That may be, but that didn't stop her from bragging about you." The stranger chuckled into his hand, a smile tugging at his lips.

Haru gave a strangled noise of embarrassment, cheeks burning as she stared at him. "B-bragging about me? But—I'm not—I've never..!" She sputtered hurriedly, waving her hands. The stranger regarded her coolly for a moment. He cocked his head at her, expression unreadable.

"Miss Haru, there's a lesson I once asked Shizuku to learn. Always believe in yourself. Do this, and no matter where you are, you will have nothing to fear." He straightened his suit, his gaze still locked on her. Haru couldn't help but stare, feeling more than a little self-conscious. Slowly, she nodded. He seemed content with that and nodded in return. The sharp ring of a cell phone startled them both and he quietly excused himself. "Until we meet again, Miss Haru."

And then he was gone. She stared at the doorway for a minute then rubbed her eyes. She hadn't realized her aunt had a friend like that. She'd never seen him before—or heard of him before, not that she'd gotten a name. The brunette sat there, letting another moment tick by on the clock before she finally rose to her feet and stepped out of the room. No sooner than she appeared in the hallway, her mother intercepted her.

"There you are. One of Shizuku's friends said he spoke with you just now, said you were probably ready to go home by now." Naoko smiled sadly, hugging her close. "We can go home now, if you want."

Haru let out a soft sigh. Whoever that guy was, he was extremely perceptive. "That would be great, honestly." She murmured softly. "I just don't want to be around all these people right now." Naoko nodded and squeezed her daughter tightly once more. As they passed back through the living room, Haru spotted her best friend Hiromi and gave her an apologetic smile. Hiromi only shrugged it off, nodding her understanding before shooing them off. Normally, Haru probably would have laughed, but as it was, she didn't have the heart to...but she was grateful that Hiromi had even shown up to support her, even if Haru wasn't too keen on being around everyone right now.

In fact, the first thing she did upon walking through the front door of the Yoshioka home was trudge up to her room and flop down on her bed. Somehow, sleep managed to find her, and she woke up to her mother shaking her shoulder. The brunette blinked slowly, rolling over to stare up at her mother. "What?" She mumbled groggily, squinting up at the woman.

"You've got to come with us for the reading of the will."

Haru stiffened, eyes widening for a fraction of a second before frowning. "Me? But I don't understand...Why do I have to..?"

Naoko regarded her daughter carefully, moving back as the younger girl sat up. "Because your aunt listed you in her will." It stunned Haru, her mouth going dry. She nodded numbly, and moved to get dressed. What on earth would her aunt have possible left her?

As it stood, Naoko and her daughter were the last to arrive. Or so it appeared. Her other aunt and uncle frowned as the two entered the room. "Now can we get on with this?" Her aunt snapped, scowling at Shizuku's attorney. The man cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses.

"Unfortunately, we're still waiting on one more."

Shiho frowned and sat back in her chair. Haru blinked. Another person? The family was already here.. Then the door opened once more. Haru felt herself freeze, eyes widening. There he was again, the man with the golden orange hair and emerald eyes. He tipped his hat to them, murmuring a soft apology before taking a seat across from Haru. The attorney nodded and shifted his gaze to the will. Slowly, he began to read aloud. Shizuku's little bits of humor and her talk of the wonderful life she'd shared with Seiji only opened the fresh wound of her absence, and then he began to read what she had left to them.

"To Shiho and her husband, I leave my car and that brooch you loved so much. I figure if anyone will have a use for it, it'll be you guys. Now you can stop riding that scooter everywhere." Shiho chuckled sadly, resting her hand on her husband's arm. But the attorney carried on. "To Baron, don't let yourself get caught up in all the sadness of the past. Keep looking forward as far as you can. Sooner or later, a ray of hope will light up your life." The man in question simply nodded, looking more amused than anything. Advice? Really? That was just like Shizuku. "For Naoko, I think a single mom could use a break every once in a while. So I'm leaving the lake cabin to you. Go take a vacation every now and then." Haru shot a grin toward her mother, who only managed a small smile.

"And for Haru, my one and only niece—keep encouraging that curiosity of yours. You always helped me finish a story, because I knew you'd want to be the first to read it, and I couldn't stand disappointing you. You put up with my madness more than anyone else had to..so I want to leave the greatest gift to you. When you turn eighteen, my house, my royalties and assets..will all be yours." The attorney finished reading and Haru became aware that all eyes seemed to be on her. She swallowed hard, eyes as wide as dinner plates. It looked like everyone had expected it...but Haru still felt blindsided. She still hadn't really processed it as the attorney handed over the house keys and her mother steered her out of the room. She was silent even as they drove to her aunt's house.

She found herself standing in the middle of the living room, staring at the picture of her aunt and her husband on the mantel. "...Why me? Why leave all this to me?" She asked softly. Sure, they'd been incredibly close. But she thought for sure she would leave something this huge to someone with more...maturity? Responsibility? She wasn't sure—but she knew she would never think of this as her house. She was definitely confused. But then again, Shizuku always had a knack for being a bit nonsensical.

The house seemed too quiet now though. It left her with an unsettled feeling. Like she was being watched. But that was silly, right? It didn't stop her from jumping when her mother called out to her. "Haru! Come on, I've got to get to that conference."

But the car had other ideas, apparently. As Haru stepped out of the front door, not bothering to shut it just yet, she saw her mother was already in the car, trying to start it. "Stupid thing," her mother hissed. "I knew I should have traded it in when I had the chance!" She grumbled for a few more minutes before heading back inside to call a tow truck. Haru stayed on the front porch for a moment, vaguely noting there were dark clouds gathering on the horizon.

She retreated back into Shizuku's office while her mother waited on the tow truck, and when it did arrive, there was only room for one passenger. Haru snorted at her mother's worry and waved it off, finding no problem in staying by herself for a while.

"You just go get it fixed." She stated. "I'm sixteen, I can take care of myself. Aunt Shizuku was always stocked up on food so I'm sure there's something to eat if I get hungry." She was definitely old enough to spend a few hours on her own. Even if the house felt too quiet, she could always turn on the television, or the radio, for a bit of background noise.

Naoko sighed, shoulders slumping. "Alright, alright. But keep your phone on in case I need to call you for something.

"Yes, mom."

"Be careful."

"I will, mom."

"Don't open the door to stran-"

"Mom! Go already!" Haru laughed as she gently pushed her mother out of the door. "I know what to do. You just worry about your car right now." She would be fine. It wasn't like she hadn't stayed home by herself before. She was perfectly capable of cooking if she needed to. That seemed to finally convince her mother, and the slim brunette waved her off as she climbed into the cab of the tow truck.

Shizuku's manuscript was practically calling to her, begging to be read. She had hesitated at first, but she knew there was no way she could keep herself from reading it. Her aunt's books were her favorite, and she was incredibly curious to see what this one was about. She set her phone on the desk beside her and slowly, reverently, picked up the manuscript and began to read.

Immediately, it sucked her in. Dashing sword fights and daring young men, even bright young women who weren't content to take a back seat while the men had all the fun. She was just getting to the part where the young heroine was about to stumble on a foul plot against the king when her cellphone rang, jolting her out of the story rather abruptly. She blinked several times, vision blurry, but found more time had passed than she had realized. Groaning slightly, she answered the phone.

"Haru?"

"Yeah, mom?" She asked groggily.

"Oh, were you asleep?" Her mother sounded a bit guilty. "Sorry about that."

"No, no, I wasn't sleeping..I was reading one of Aunt Shizuku's books. What's up?"

"Well.." Her mother hesitated, sounding almost exasperated. "You must have really been out of it not to hear the storm that just blew through. The road's flooded, so I won't be able to get to you."

Haru blinked, then turned her gaze to the window. Sure enough, it was still overcast and gloomy, and everything on the lawn was soaked. She whistled into the phone. "Wow, I don't know how I missed that." She rubbed her face again, stretching a bit. "I'll be fine for the night, mom. Like I said, Aunt Shizuku's probably got plenty of food to eat and this is a good neighborhood." There was nothing to worry about. She heard her mother sigh on the other end before consenting.

"Alright, but I'll be over there first thing in the morning."

"Of course."

"Be careful, Haru. I love you."

"I love you too, mom. You be careful on your way home."

She sighed and set her phone down, settling back into the chair. She stared out the window for a moment before sneaking another look down at the manuscript. The temptation was definitely too great. Before she knew it, she had resumed her reading, getting swept along in the young heroine's adventure. Haru certainly wished she could be that brave sometimes.

It must have been sometime after midnight when she finally finished. She'd certainly been sitting too long, since her limbs had grown stiff. She pocketed her cellphone and slipped out of the study, deciding to raid the kitchen to see what her aunt had. As it turned out, there were plenty of leftovers stowed away. She found some macaroni and cheese and leftover piece of chicken and popped them in the microwave for a few minutes. She was just sitting down in the living room, about to turn the television on and eat her dinner when the phone rang.

Not her cellphone.

The house phone.

Haru almost jumped, suddenly feeling a cold pit of nerves in her stomach. No one else knew she was staying the night in her aunt's house. Everyone who knew her aunt would know there was no point to calling the home of a dead woman. That meant it had to be someone who didn't know the news yet, right? Sucking in a sharp breath, she reached for the phone.

"Hello?"

Silence greeted her at first, then there was a grunt on the other end.

"Who's this?" It was an unfamiliar voice, a bit gruff and Haru couldn't picture her aunt being friends with whoever this person was. "What are you doing there?"

"Um..if you're calling for Shizuku Amasawa.." Haru trailed off.

"I already know she's dead." The stranger snapped. Haru's brows furrowed.

"...Then why are you calling?"

"You're not supposed to be there. No one's supposed to be there." The voice growled. Haru definitely felt scared. There was something going on here, and she had no idea how to handle the situation. Should she call the cops?

"Don't even think about it." The man sneered, as if he'd just read her mind. The brunette remained frozen, tightening her grip on the phone as her food went forgotten on the coffee table in front of her. "Where's the key?"

"..What key?"

"Don't play dumb with me! If you're there, that means you know about it!" The man snapped, then grumbled under his breath. "The boss isn't going to like this.."

Haru had no idea what he was talking about and opted for hanging up the phone. She flung the phone away and fled the room, her heart jackhammering in her chest. Her food forgotten, she hid in the hallway, struggling to keep her breathing under control. Then the phone rang again. She froze, pressing herself as close to the wall as she could, shutting her eyes tight. It rang for a bit and then the answering machine beeped.

"There's no use trying to pretend you're not home, girlie." The man's voice sneered, confirming Haru's fear. "If you won't tell me, I'll just have to pry it out of you."

Silence echoed through the home as the machine cut off. The brunette gulped fearfully, slowly counting to ten to try and calm herself down. She was just dreaming. She must have fallen asleep reading her aunt's book and now she was having a wild dream about it. That was it. She would wake up any minute now...

And then she heard the living room window shatter.


	2. Chapter 2

A chill spread through every bone in her body as she held her breath. She ought to flee further into the house, find somewhere to hide. What was even going on? Since when did someone break into a house in this neighborhood? Hadn't she told her mother it was a safe place? Haru didn't even dare to breathe, especially once she heard the man from before grunt as he entered the room. His boots crunched on the broken glass, the silent house only amplifying the noise.

Haru exhaled as quietly as possible, sliding further down the wall. If she could just barricade herself in a room...There had to be something she could use as a weapon somewhere in the house. But then again...did she have the guts to even try to fight that guy? Whoever it was, it sounded like he meant business. But she honestly had no clue what he wanted?

The floor creaked under her foot and she froze in her tracks, trembling. There was no way he hadn't heard it. In fact, the slow, heavy footsteps heading for the hallway only confirmed it. She turned to run but he must have had the same idea as she heard his pace quicken. A strangled noise of surprise sounded in Haru's throat as her feet slipped out from under her. Of all the times for her clumsiness to strike..! She threw her arms out to catch herself, but she was yanked away from the floor before she could even get close.

The man grinned, tightening his grip on her shoulder as he slammed her against the wall. She cried out in pain, shutting her eyes tightly. Without a doubt, there would be a bruise there later. Up close, she could see the man probably needed a good shave. His outfit sort of reminded her of a military uniform, but it also looked too casual to really be one. There was a scar marring the left side of his face, only accenting the snarl that curled his lips as he glared at the girl.

"Where is it?" He growled, releasing her shoulder only to close his hand around her throat. His grip was loose, but Haru didn't dare think about what would happen if he tightened his grip.

"I-I really don't know what you're talking about!" She sputtered, trailing off into a grunt as he slowly applied pressure.

"You're in no position to play the hero, girl." His brows furrowed. "I know you're hiding it around here somewhere...The sooner you tell me where it is, the faster you save your own skin."

Her heart thundered in her ears as the gears of her mind turned. What could her aunt have that this guy could possibly be after? She had never thought her aunt had anything that valuable stowed away. "A-are you..talking about her manuscript?" She asked tentatively. The man blinked, staring at her for a moment, as if he couldn't believe she'd dared to suggest it.

He growled low in his throat, tightening his grip around her throat. Haru coughed, grimacing as she struggled to keep herself calm—which proved to be a greater feat than she had expected. "Her manuscript? Don't be stupid, girl." He snarled and hauled her away from the wall, still holding her around her neck. He stalked out of the hallway and practically threw her into one of her aunt's old armchairs. The brunette gasped as she was released, but the collision had only added to the bruises. For a moment, she'd actually thought the chair would flip backwards from the impact, but mercifully it had only rocked before returning safely to all four legs.

The man moved to the fireplace, selecting one of the iron pokers and testing its weight in his hand. "Look, girlie, I don't want to do this any more than you do. So why don't you just cut the crap and tell me where the old bat hid it, I can get it and be on my way." He tapped the poker against his hand. He must have been trying to look amicable and harmless, but the grin on his face wasn't having the desired effect.

"I honestly don't know what you're talking about!" Haru sputtered, attempting to shrink back into the armchair. She had hoped that this was nothing more than a bad dream, but she wasn't going to wake up any time soon. Her shoulder ached and she could almost feel the pressure lingering on her throat. That didn't even begin to cover the sore spots from where her elbow and knees had collided with the arms of the chair. Her response only seemed to irritate the man more and he raised his weapon over his head.

"I gave you a choice, kid. No more mister nice guy."

Haru flinched and shut her eyes tight. She waited, expecting splitting pain to arc through her at any minute. But as if this night wasn't weird enough already, the front door was thrown off its hinges, distracting the man long enough for Haru to realize she had a chance to run. The man scowled, turning to the door.

"What now?!"

As if to answer his question, a new figure rushed into the room, blocking the man's strike with nothing more than a cane. Haru took that moment to retreat to the kitchen, peering out from behind the counter. Her eyes widened slightly as she recognized the new figure. There was no mistaking the suited man she'd seen at the reading of the will earlier that day. Baron, was it? Still, there was something different about him this time, but he was moving too fast for her to really get a good look at him.

He easily parried the intruder's blows, quickly retaliating with a blow to the shoulder that caused the man to drop the poker. Next was a sharp blow to the man's foot, throwing him off balance with a howl of pain. The man growled as he gripped his injured foot, glaring at Baron. "You..! Haven't you had enough of sticking your nose where it doesn't belong!?" He snapped. Baron only responded by slamming his shoulder into the man, knocking him to the floor.

"Unfortunately for you, it's not a habit I tire of." He finally remarked, resting his cane on the ground. The man on the floor growled and scrambled to his feet, but he made no move to attack again.

"My boss will hear about this, you know." The man snarled, gripping his shoulder. Baron tipped his hat to the man.

"I'd expect nothing less."

The man offered one more growl before rushing out the window, the same way he'd come in. Baron cleared his throat, turning in the direction of the kitchen. "Miss Haru?" He called tentatively. "I do believe it's safe for you now."

But now that he'd stopped moving, Haru could get a good look at him as she slowly edged out of her hiding place. Instead of the handsome man she'd seen earlier, the Baron before her was...feline? Where skin should have been, there was golden orange fur, matching the hair color of the man she'd seen before. Two pointed ears twitched at her movement as his tail flicked nervously behind him. Haru couldn't help but gape at her rescuer. She still wasn't sure if she was just imagining things as she all but staggered into the room. She would never have believed it but..there was no mistaking the gleam in those emerald eyes.

"B..Baron..?" She questioned uncertainly, her hand lingering on the door frame.

He tipped his hat, an apologetic smile on his furry face. "Baron Humbert von Gikkingen, at your service." A name she recognized from her aunt's books—was this the person who'd inspired one of her aunt's favorite characters? To be honest, it was hard not to. He must have noticed the look on her face as he nodded. "Yes, I believe your aunt named a character after me. She must have based a few stories on certain adventures I've had." If they could even be called that. He turned toward the ruined window and the door. "..My apologies. If I had gotten here sooner, your injuries could have been avoided." He'd definitely have to fix those...and it probably wasn't safe for her to stay here. That man would likely be back.

"Are you alright?" His gaze turned back to the young woman, his concern evident. "You..look a bit pale actually. Do you feel faint?"

Haru furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm fine, I think. I've never fainted before.." Still, there was just one thing that stood out in her mind. The man before her was clearly some sort of cat creature. She never would have thought it was possible. Then again, she had never thought someone would try breaking into her aunt's house. She didn't know what it felt like to faint, but she did feel a little light-headed and a bit weak in the knees. She thought it was just her adrenaline catching up with her.

"Mr. Gikkingen," she swallowed hard, unable to believe the words she was about to say, "you're a cat."

Baron would have responded, but cut off the moment he saw her sway as she tried to take a step forward. Her legs had decided they'd had enough for one night and gave out on her. Haru vaguely thought this must have been what fainting was like. As her vision blurred, the last thing she saw was Baron rushing to catch her.

He managed to catch her just in the nick of time, a relieved sigh leaving his lips. "...Yes, I expect that's enough excitement for one night." He murmured, carrying her over to the couch. He laid her down gently and tugged a blanket over her. Time to get started on fixing the damage, he supposed. Luckily, it wasn't anything a little magic couldn't fix.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And there's chapter two! I'm not quite sure where I'm heading with this yet, but it'll probably blend the first book with the movie in some way. No idea how long it'll be either, but it'll be a fun ride at least!

And to Jacquelina-Comm, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I was surprised to see no one had done this yet either and the idea struck me last night as I was updating my Skulduggery Pleasant one-shot collection.


End file.
